If there are others who have recovered & are still riding, how easy was it to get back on the saddle and how long did it take, thanks in advance. Looks like a harsh implement to me at the moment.About 10 days ago I prostate cancer surgery; my prognosis is as good as you can get with this disease.Two sides to this coin, of course. The negativeWill be off the bike for a minimum of 8 weeks , then the process will be slow.Cost, there is a large out of pocket expense as I elected robotic surgery.Recovery, temporary incontinence & impotencyThe positiveI get to harass all of you to go for prostate checks; there are a few things you should know. Prostate cancer is curable when detected early. Nerve sparing surgery has improved which means in the both continence & potency return. Only about 10% get prostate cancer, the earlier the detection the more likely the cure.Symptoms vary; you need both PSA and the digit.Know your family history, prostate cancer in your father before he was 60 needs greater caution & earlier checks and the bigger surprise to me was breast cancer in a parent may increase your predisposition to this cancer. Also look for repeated toilet trips, slow start or reduced flow.There is PM if that is better for you

I have a mate that has been through it , he was only 45. He was told to hold of for at least three months to give everything to heal up properly, and then start of very slowly.

So far all his tests have been good over the past three years, so it's fingers crossed because it was the most aggressive one there was for Prostate cancer. If he had of found out a month later, he would not be here now!

Foo

I don't suffer fools easily and so long as you have done your best,you should have no regrets.Goal 6000km

Just a note: working out who and when to test is not a simple thing. By all means talk to your regular doctor about prostate cancer but be aware that ROUTINE population screening for prostate cancer is not recommended for men of any age group.

vitualis wrote:Just a note: working out who and when to test is not a simple thing. By all means talk to your regular doctor about prostate cancer but be aware that ROUTINE population screening for prostate cancer is not recommended for men of any age group.

I am advocating awareness and as origionally posted, if you have symptoms seek advice early.The most important thing is that you discuss this and/or any other issues with your regular doctor.Both references you give are good, however the more you read the more conflict there is in published information therefore the most important thing is awareness and the knowledge that medical opinion changes over time as research brings better detection, better treatment and a more holistic approach. These advances generally make life easier and provide better patient outcomes.

What I am raising is the actual health policy and science behind PSA testing. There is a trend in consumer group literature to be uncritically positive for prostate cancer testing which can be harmful.

Do you blokes realise that, Prostate cancer is referred to by the old blokes, as the bike riders cancer, because of the high percentage amongst cyclists?? ( this is from old competitive cyclists)I believe that you should be getting checked out from the age of 40yrs old!! A blood test will do no damage to your prostate and neither will the not so wonderful digital test.

My mate that I spoke of, wanted to be tested at the age of 40, but his doctor said no, your to young. Well guess what at the age of 45 he finally said I want the test and his PSA came back at 9.5. He then had a biopsy done and was found to be positive for the most aggressive form. As I have said earlier, a month later and he would be dead [b]now.[b] He also had no symptoms at all.

Foo

I don't suffer fools easily and so long as you have done your best,you should have no regrets.Goal 6000km

Actually, it can. When comparing men who are screened for prostate cancer to those who are not, about 1400 men will need to be screened and 48 men treated (with radical prostatectomy) to prevent 1 additional case of prostate cancer death. PSA testing can (and does) lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment. As per my first post: routine population screening is not recommended in any age group.

Actually, it can. When comparing men who are screened for prostate cancer to those who are not, about 1400 men will need to be screened and 48 men treated (with radical prostatectomy) to prevent 1 additional case of prostate cancer death. PSA testing can (and does) lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment. As per my first post: routine population screening is not recommended in any age group.

From someone working in the industry, the Free PSA (prostate-specific antigen) to Total PSA ratio is more important than the simple Total PSA concentration as a marker of malignant disease.

Also, those males who ejaculate at least 5 times per week reduce their likelihood of developing cancer of the prostate by 30%. Ejaculation does not have to be via coitis. It's thought that the frequent flushing from the prostate of the carcinogens potentially present in seminal fluid is the cause of the lowered risk.

arkle wrote:From someone working in the industry, the Free PSA (prostate-specific antigen) to Total PSA ratio is more important than the simple Total PSA concentration as a marker of malignant disease.

Also, those males who ejaculate at least 5 times per week reduce their likelihood of developing cancer of the prostate by 30%. Ejaculation does not have to be via coitis. It's thought that the frequent flushing from the prostate of the carcinogens potentially present in seminal fluid is the cause of the lowered risk.

arkle wrote:From someone working in the industry, the Free PSA (prostate-specific antigen) to Total PSA ratio is more important than the simple Total PSA concentration as a marker of malignant disease.

Also, those males who ejaculate at least 5 times per week reduce their likelihood of developing cancer of the prostate by 30%. Ejaculation does not have to be via coitis. It's thought that the frequent flushing from the prostate of the carcinogens potentially present in seminal fluid is the cause of the lowered risk.

arkle wrote:From someone working in the industry, the Free PSA (prostate-specific antigen) to Total PSA ratio is more important than the simple Total PSA concentration as a marker of malignant disease.

Also, those males who ejaculate at least 5 times per week reduce their likelihood of developing cancer of the prostate by 30%. Ejaculation does not have to be via coitis. It's thought that the frequent flushing from the prostate of the carcinogens potentially present in seminal fluid is the cause of the lowered risk.

foo on patrol wrote:My mate that I spoke of, wanted to be tested at the age of 40, but his doctor said no, your to young. Well guess what at the age of 45 he finally said I want the test and his PSA came back at 9.5. He then had a biopsy done and was found to be positive for the most aggressive form. As I have said earlier, a month later and he would be dead [b]now.[b] He also had no symptoms at all.

Foo

You need both tests, my urologist suggests its not uncommon that men with low PSA tests can still get aggressive cancer.My PSA is higher than normal 3.9(down on last test) & the digit & biopsy tests suggest all is normal, I have no symptoms, & do 6 monthly checks. (58yo)

Ok so here's the real deal with prostate cancer for those of you concerned.

No-one is suggesting screening (universal mass testing such as for TB in the 1950s) , but a PSA blood test , in conjunction with a rectal exam and assesment of other risk factors such as age and family history, and discussed with your doctor or urologist, will be able to define your risk of CaP , and allow you to decide whether you want to take it further i.e. biopsy.Epidemiologists love the statistics, but will never see a prostate cancer patient live or die.

The number of men needed to test to save a life data are rapidly changing, and this year's data are more in keeping with the stats on mammogram testing in women. Imagine if we suggested to women to stop testing for Ca cervix or Ca breast, what do you think the response would be.

Death from prostate cancer, in those men aged 45 - 75 is not a pretty thing I can assure you.

No, cycling does not increase your risk. Yes, it is possible to have very significant prostate cancer with a normal PSA. Yes, treatments are radical and may be associated with morbidity, but if you are dead from prostate cancer, well you aren't going to be worried about erections anyway (paraphrase of a quote from Wayne Swan !)

I would be pleased to respond in this forum to other queries or hypotheses so as to allay anxiety or misinformation.

The American Urological Association recommends testing from age 40, most currently the Urological Association Of Australia and New Zealand says this :

Media Release15 March, 2010 - For Immediate ReleaseUrologists reassure Australian men PSA test is best indicator for prostate cancerAustralian men should be reassured the PSA blood test conducted in conjunction with aphysical examination is the best available â€œflagâ€ for the possibility of prostate cancer,says Dr David Malouf, president of the peak body for urologists, the Urological Society ofAustralia and New Zealand (USANZ).Dr Malouf says Australian men should not be alarmed by reported comments by theinventor of the widely-used blood test, Richard Ablin, regarding the effectiveness of thetest.â€œProstate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, and is the secondmost common cause of cancer deaths in men. Prostate cancer kills more than 3000Australian and New Zealand men each year. Many people are surprised to learn thatmore men die from prostate cancer than there are women dying from breast cancerâ€says Dr Malouf.â€œThe PSA blood test does not diagnose prostate cancer. It raises a red flag andidentifies those men who need to have prostate cancer excluded through furtherinvestigation,â€ says Dr Malouf.â€œThis is done with a prostate biopsy, and we know the earlier we detect and treatprostate cancer the better the outcome,â€ says Dr Malouf.â€œNot all men diagnosed with prostate cancer will require treatment, and many slowgrowing tumours can be managed with â€œactive surveillanceâ€â€™â€™, says Dr Malouf.

â€œEqually, the vast majority of men who undergo PSA testing will have a normal PSA andcan be reassured by the result.â€USANZ encourages men interested in their prostate health to have a single PSA test andDRE performed at or beyond age 40, which is an indicator of their risk of developingprostate cancer in the future.

walnut1 wrote:â€œThe PSA blood test does not diagnose prostate cancer. It raises a red flag andidentifies those men who need to have prostate cancer excluded through furtherinvestigation,â€ says Dr Malouf.â€œThis is done with a prostate biopsy, and we know the earlier we detect and treatprostate cancer the better the outcome,â€ says Dr Malouf.â€œNot all men diagnosed with prostate cancer will require treatment, and many slowgrowing tumours can be managed with â€œactive surveillanceâ€â€™â€™, says Dr Malouf.

â€œEqually, the vast majority of men who undergo PSA testing will have a normal PSA andcan be reassured by the result.â€USANZ encourages men interested in their prostate health to have a single PSA test andDRE performed at or beyond age 40, which is an indicator of their risk of developingprostate cancer in the future.

All good information but the free PSA/total PSA ratio is so much better than the standard total PSA assay as a predictor of malignant disease.

There is some evidence that the free PSA ratio (the percent of total PSA not bound to proteins) can help predict the probability of cancer, especially in patients with total PSA levels in the 'grey-area- range of 4.0 to 10.0 ng/mL. This test may also be useful in early diagnosis of disease when values are between 2.5 and 4.0 ng/mL. A free-PSA test result above 25% is thought to suggest a lower risk of cancer, whereas a lower percentage suggests a higher probability of disease. This ratio may help reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies. A recent study also suggests that very low ratios of free PSA to total PSA (less than 14%) might be associated with a more aggressive form of the disease. Additional studies are ongoing.

In my field of work, all pathology laboratories measure for both free and total PSA (if requested by a doctor) and have done for at least the last half decade.

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